The Bodley Head to publish Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund’s Left Out

The Bodley Head to publish this autumn the definitive inside account of Labour’s rise and demise under Corbyn

Left Out by Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund will draw on exceptional access throughout the Labour party and Corbyn’s inner circle to reveal in full and for the first time the extraordinary story of Labour’s tumultuous transformation under Corbyn’s leadership. A gripping narrative account of Labour’s journey from Corbyn’s zenith, immediately after the general election of 2017, to its humbling at the election of 2019 and a new leadership contest, it will reveal a party riven by infighting, factionalism and crisis. By turns shocking, farcical and tragic, it will be essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand one of the most remarkable periods in the history of the British Left.

As well as an authoritative account of the war within Labour over its Brexit policy and whether to back the calling of a general election, it will shed dramatic new light on what was happening behind the scenes during the antisemitism scandal and the formation of the break-away Independent Group, as well as the plots, failed coups and secret negotiations that were taking place throughout the 2019 general election campaign itself. Ultimately, it will help explain Labour’s collapse at the polls and reveal a party that has fundamentally shifted on its axis, with profound implications for its long-term future.

Patrick Maguire is the New Statesman’s political correspondent. Based in Westminster, he reports extensively on the Labour Party, including recent interviews with shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and the former Labour MP Robert Kilroy-Silk. He is a regular commentator on topics including the Labour Party and Brexit for national TV and radio. He previously worked in Westminster for The Times and the Observer, and won the 2016 Anthony Howard Award for young journalists. He is represented by Northbank Talent Management.

Left Out will be published in hardback in September 2020.